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Former Safehouse employee Kadny Zayle sentenced to four years for theft from immigrant clients

By Pierrette J. Shields Longmont Times-Call

Posted:
10/26/2012 05:41:32 PM MDT

Updated:
10/26/2012 05:57:35 PM MDT

Zayle

BOULDER -- A Boulder District judge on Friday sentenced a former Safehouse employee to four years in prison in a case in which she was found guilty of stealing from the clients she was charged with helping, undocumented immigrants who sought sanctuary from domestic violence.

A Boulder County jury found Kadny Zayle guilty of felony theft from seven victims and of forgery for falsifying documents that appeared to be from an immigration attorney.

Boulder District Judge Thomas Mulvahill said the evidence in the case was overwhelming and that Zayle failed to take responsibility for her actions even after the jury convicted her. He acknowledged that she did not cause the circumstances the women found themselves in regarding their immigration and domestic situations, but she used the situations to manipulate money, in some cases the victims' entire life savings, from the women.

"It is not just the amount of the money that someone steals that goes into my consideration. It is from whom do they steal," Mulvahill said. "What is obvious here is the women from whom Ms. Zayle stole had very little money."

He sentenced her to a four-year prison term for the theft, including three years of parole. He also sentenced her to three years of probation on the forgery charge. Full restitution to the victims also was ordered, totaling $10,613.40.Zayle served as the immigrant advocate for the Safehouse Progressive Alliance for Non-Violence, an organization dedicated to assisting victims of domestic violence. According to prosecutors, Zayle took money from undocumented immigrant clients and told them it was for visa paperwork or to pay immigration attorneys to help them. However, prosecutors said, Zayle banked the money to help with her own financial problems and forged a document and said it was from an immigration attorney's office to help hide the theft.

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The issues came to light when one of the women complained to a Safehouse official that she had given Zayle money and had not received the services promised. Safehouse officials then touched base with all of Zayle's clients and uncovered a total of seven similar stories. Zayle was fired and Boulder police investigated and tallied about $7,000 taken from the clients. Prosecutors argued that the clients were particularly vulnerable because immigrant populations can be suspicious of law enforcement and fearful that any cooperation will put them on the radar for deportations.

Boulder County District Attorney Stan Garnett said it is important to his office to send the message that no community will be more vulnerable to crimes than any other.

"This case is about how we cannot have an underclass in our community," he said.

Zayle noted she had no criminal record and that she did as the victims asked, but they did not get the results they wanted. Her attorney noted several friends offered to pay the restitution and have her repay them.

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